Influencer Lisa Linh on how to get the most out of influencer marketing

We just discussed the why and how of influencer marketing for spas over here.

To add an insider perspective, and or more details on how to work with influencers, and what to expect from this relatively new form of marketing, we spoke with Lisa Linh a blogger and Instagram influencer with 95.1K followers who has been labelled a “getaway guru,” or “a go to for where to stay, what to do, where to eat, and so much more.” Her services include social media consulting and content creation, including video and photography.

We asked Linh why a spa should work with an influencer, what can be expected on both sides of the relationship, and how to get the most out of a collaboration.

Note that as a travel blogger, Linh’s focus is on hotels and restaurants. But someone as niche as a “spa influencer” isn’t going to have as many interactions. And people looking for spas are usually looking for that as part of a travel experience, or for an occasional or regular luxury. Most consumers aren’t searching for different spa after spa the way one does hotels or restaurants. So, understanding how a travel blogger works is going to be more useful overall.

Here’s what Linh had to say.

Why should a spa work with an influencer?

Influencers are trusted much more than commercialized ads and celebrity endorsements nowadays. As influencers, we connect and engage with our audience and often times, we end up gaining their trust. I’m very real with my audience; if I like something I’ll share it but if I don’t, I’ll also share it.

What can a property expect to get out of such a collaboration?

It depends on what the spa’s goals are, which needs to be communicated to me. For example, if the goal is to highlight the space and its services overall, we will prepare assets that best showcase both. If it’s a product, and the benefits it provides, then we’ll do a step by step process with a before and after. Regardless of the goal, the collaboration needs to benefit both parties and MUST be genuine. I do not work with brands/companies I do not support or believe in.

How should one choose an influencer to work with?

Choose an existing fan of your brand! If not, do your research and work with an influencer that has the aesthetic and audience you’re targeting. You wouldn’t book a sneakerhead to promote the beauty products at a spa over a beauty blogger. Most importantly, pay attention to their quality of work as what they currently produce is what you’re expected to receive.

What can a spa expect from the experience while hosting someone?

Again, this depends on the type of collaboration. I make sure to get a list of deliverables beforehand to ensure both parties are in agreement. For a hotel, my scope of work usually includes photos of the amenities and rooms, a blog post on www.bylisalinh.com, and/or Instagram posts. To maintain complete transparency, I always tell the hotel/host that my write up and posts are in reflection of how the experience was. If the hotel was great, I will write about it! If the hotel treated us poorly and the experience wasn’t the best, I will write about it. My audience only exists because I stay true to myself, and I refuse to compromise that relationship.

How does one measure success with this type of marketing? How can you tell if it was worth the investment? Do you have any direct success stories you can share?

With any form of marketing and advertisement, the return on investment is dependent on your interpretation of success. We can measure how many clicks to their website were directly from my social platforms/articles, however, what I found over the years is that my recommendations usually drive offline traffic. For example, the brands I stand behind and love, I will always recommend to everyone and anyone I meet. While they may not directly click or shop the link I provide on my website/Instagram, it doesn’t mean they aren’t physically going to the store to purchase it. For example, I’m an advocate of organic and fresh skincare products because of a really bad cystic acne incident a year ago. Since then, I always talk about NuEvolutions and OSEA to everyone and have gotten people to try them out and fall in love with it too.

In regards to hospitality, people go to my website to look up places to stay and where the best places to eat are. However, they’re not necessarily booking right after I’ve written about it. They most likely bookmark the hotels they’re interested in for future and stay there later on. ROI right away isn’t guaranteed, but it’s there.

Now with assets, if the collaboration consists of high-quality imagery, the client is getting those set of photos right away. These photos are for their marketing and social usage, and it’s often much cheaper to work with us than a professional production team.

Is this going to grow or calm down? Do you have any thoughts on the future of this type of marketing?

I believe the travel category will only grow. As for other silos, they may slow down due to oversaturation of content. There are only a handful of focused travel bloggers, and an even smaller percentage of them have a loyal following looking to them for travel advice rather than just pretty photos.

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